


This Magic Moment

by BergaraHoe (flannelfeelings)



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series), Watcher Entertainment
Genre: Angst, Angst and Fluff, Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF Ryan Bergara, Bad lore pls dont hate me, Declarations Of Love, Discovering Powers, Friends to Lovers, Gay, Gay Love, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Bad At Tagging, Love, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Oneshot, Protective Ryan, Ryan Bergara Loves Shane Madej, Ryan saves shanes life ayye, Witch Ryan Bergara, Witch Ryan!, Witch!Ryan, confession of feelings, its all made up, ryan bergara - Freeform, shane madej - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:53:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23194291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flannelfeelings/pseuds/BergaraHoe
Summary: Shane is secretly in love with his best friend Ryan, who's got a fair amount of secrets of his own.One day, when Shane is in danger, secrets are revealed and their relationship is put to the testAKA Shane discovers Ryan is a witch
Relationships: Ryan Bergara/Shane Madej
Comments: 8
Kudos: 240





	This Magic Moment

**Author's Note:**

> this was a request from the amazing CJ!! if ur reading this on ao3 I love you so damn much dude
> 
> Hope u enjoy! 
> 
> PS all the lore is made up ok its fanfic yall

Rainy days seldom came along in sunny Los Angeles, so Shane planned to make the most of this one. In Illinois, where he’d grown up and lived for most of his life, he was used to overcast skies and light drizzles. But in the past half decade of residing in LA, he was growing just as rain-hungry as the natives.

He blamed Ryan. The other man was always so excitable whenever rainy days hit...it was hard not to let himself get pulled into the joy. Every time Ryan laughed or even got the slightest bit giddy...well, Shane defied anyone not to be swept up in that beautiful smile. Ryan’s happiness was magnetic.

In a totally platonic, best friend way.

Shane convinced himself pretty regularly that that was the case. It was all platonic. Just friends. Just best friends and co-owners of a company.

He knew Ryan would never be interested in him anyway. The other man was...well, not reserved, but he always seemed to hold something back. No matter how close they got, the deep conversations they shared light nights in hotel rooms, there was always a small piece of Ryan that Shane wasn’t allowed to see. He didn’t know what exactly it was. Just something in him that he felt like he couldn’t show to the world, for whatever reason.

It didn’t matter either way, because best friends didn’t _need_ to know everything the way partners do. Shane didn’t expect to, either.

Despite the beautiful weather, unfortunately, Shane still had to start making his way to work. LA wasn’t great about public transit, but he didn’t have a car, so he occasionally had to ride the bus down to the closest stop by their office. If it weren’t for the weather, he’d have Ubered, but this type of rain made LA drivers insane, and he’d rather not risk it. Usually he and Ryan would meet halfway for breakfast, then go in together, but Ryan had texted him this morning that he was running late. Shane had to hurry to make it in and unlock the doors before anyone else got there, Steven was out sick so at least one of the owners had to arrive and let their staff in on time.

Shane’s sneakers were starting to soak through with rain water as he waited underneath the shoddy overhand of the bus stop nearest his apartment. He groaned internally at how uncomfortable that would be throughout the day; but there was no turning back now. He glanced around with mild interest, watching skateboarders screech by through puddles, mothers hurriedly rushing to cars with babies in tow, and morning commuters navigating the rain-induced traffic. The various sounds of LA in the morning were a comfort on his seemingly endless wait.

Finally, from a few hundred feet away, he saw the familiar bus begin to chug toward his stop. He was the only one waiting, so hopefully it would be a quick turnaround to get on his way to the office. He stepped closer to the curb, absentmindedly reaching down to readjust the tongue on his sneaker, cursing quietly as the crinkled, wet material resisted his encouragement.

The next moment seemed to happen instantaneously. He heard a loud scream, then the grinding shriek of worn out brakes, and a loud splash. As he glanced up to see the car careening toward him after being t-boned by the bus, he realized what was about to happen.

Then, knowing he had no time to move and accepting in that moment that he was about to be nailed head-on by an out of control _Prius_ , he closed his eyes.

But the sound of screeching metal never reached his ears. The cold feeling of rain didn’t subside, but he felt no impact in his body from the car’s weight. Despite this small relief, he couldn’t bring himself to open his eyes. He was afraid to see a mangled body beneath him.

“Shane?” A breathless voice asked from inches away from his face, “Are you okay? Shane?”

Recognizing the tone, Shane’s eyes snapped open and his head craned to the side. Ryan was standing there, dark mahogany eyes wide as saucers. His russet skin was gleaming with pellets of rainwater, and his curly hair was matted down over his forehead with dampness. He wore a light gray windbreaker and an old pair of jeans.

“Ryan?” was all Shane could muster.

“Hey, are you okay?”

Shane turned his head back to the road, seeing the _Priu_ s stopped neatly just at the curb, mere inches away from his body. The lip of the bumper had just managed to cross the threshold from cement to sidewalk, but abruptly stopped.

It wasn’t possible. The car had been going fifty miles an hour at least…it couldn’t just _stop._

Shane shook his head breathlessly. He glanced down at his own body, counting his limbs and taking stock of his perfectly unharmed frame.

“I should be a smudge on the sidewalk.” Shane managed weakly.

“Yeah, well thank god you’re not.” Ryan reached under him and pulled Shane’s weak frame upright, “You alright?”

“No!” Shane shook his head, knotting his hands in his hair as the driver of the _Prius_ and bus both exited their vehicles in a panic. Luckily, everyone looked to be okay, if not a little shaken up.

Shane suddenly realized something, “What are you doing here?” he demanded, looking at Ryan, “I thought you were running late.”

Ryan looked around, expression nervous and unsure, “Shane- let’s not do this here. We should get you to a doctor.”

“I’m-it’s fine!” Shane snapped back, directly contradicting his last statement that he wasn’t. He didn’t know why he felt suddenly so frustrated, but there was adrenaline pumping through his veins and _how_ was Ryan here and _how_ did the damn car not drill him directly in the skull like it should’ve?!

“I understand you’re upset.” Ryan said gently as the two drivers finished talking and began walking over to the pair, “But we can’t do this here, okay? Let’s get this figured out and get you seen. Just, wait one second.”

Ryan held up a finger as if telling Shane to wait, then walked over to meet the other two halfway. He gestured for a few moments while he spoke, then left and met back up with Shane.

“Let’s go, c’mon.” Shane really wasn’t in a position to argue, he followed Ryan down the sidewalk, away from the scene.

“Shouldn’t we stay and talk to the cops?” Shane insisted.

Ryan shook his head, “No. Won’t be necessary.”

“I’m a witness!”

Ryan kept walking ahead, ignoring Shane’s last statement. Shane groaned in annoyance and grabbed Ryan’s arm, forcing the man to stop and look at him.

“Explain, now!” He demanded, “You’re acting like a psycho, dude. Have all those unsolved cases finally cracked you, or what?”

Ryan shook his head, his expression was deliberating for a moment. Then, he grabbed Shane’s hand. Before Shane could really focus on just how that made him feel, they were suddenly standing in the middle of Shane’s apartment.

Shane’s heart fell into his gut, and his legs wobbled unsteadily.

“What the fuck?!” his voice was a panicked shriek, “Did we just fucking _teleport_ -”

“Shhh!” Ryan hissed, clamping a hand over Shane’s mouth, who angrily shoved him off.

“Don’ _t shh_ me motherfucker! You just Matrixed us!”

Ryan frowned briefly, “There’s no teleporting in The Matrix. You’re thinking of _X-men_ , dude.”

“ _Ryan Steven fucking Bergara_!” The blood vessels in Shane’s forehead were centimeters away from bursting.

“Okay okay!” Ryan threw his hands up appeasingly, “I’ll explain.” He inhaled once, shook his head, and sighed, “Alright. I’m a witch.”

Shane was pretty sure his brain had short circuited.

“I died.” He said quietly, “I died back there, right? The car scrambled my egg so bad that I died. And this is Heaven. Or purgatory. Or...Hell?” He frowned, “Or am I in a coma on an operating table or something?”

“No.” Ryan suddenly looked frustrated. Oh great, _he_ was frustrated. “The car didn’t hit you Shane, I stopped it.”

“You _stopped_ -” Shane shook his head, blinking rapidly as his tiny brain tried desperately to wrap around the words Ryan was saying, “I don’t understand.”

Ryan sighed again, and began speaking, “You were never supposed to know. This goes back years, in my family. It started in the 1800s during some uprising, I honestly can’t remember the whole story, but my great-great-great-whatever-Grandma made a deal with an entity. In exchange for allegiance and a lifetime of servitude, her descendants would be granted power beyond the scope of human capability.”

“A _deal_...with...an _entity_ …” Shane said stupidly.

“We don't know exactly what. I know you don’t believe in this shit.” Ryan said, “But it’s the truth. The curse - _gift_ \- was only supposed to last long enough for her children and grandchildren to stay safe during the revolution that was expected to last years. But as they kept growing and having kids...well, it stuck around. Not everyone gets it, I’m the first one in my family in...a long time. But we all were told the story as kids.” Ryan shook his head gently, “We never believed it. Until my twelfth birthday.”

Shane couldn’t speak, so he just watched Ryan with wide eyes.

“I was at school. I know I’ve told you I used to get teased a lot, I was shorter than the other boys, smaller, weaker.” He grimaced, “Well, when they brought me out behind the school to throw my face in the fertilizer and make me eat it, something happened. I was so fucking angry and fed up...I wished I could hurt them back.” He swallowed hard, “And then, they all started coughing and gasping, and I looked around and saw fertilizer pouring out of their mouths. They were _choking_ on it.” He shuddered deeply, “As soon as I saw what was happening, I was horrified. I screamed, I wanted it to stop more than anything. Then, the next second, they were okay.”

“What happened?” Shane asked breathlessly.

“I made them forget.” Ryan’s voice was low, hushed, “I told them if they said anything, I’d do it again, not that I meant it. But I didn’t even need to threaten them.” Ryan shook his head, “When I put my mind to it, all I need is a little persuasion and...people can forget what I need them to forget.”

“Is that why we didn’t need to stay back and talk to the cops?” Shane’s voice was weak and fearful, “You…”

“I compelled the drivers to forget we were there.” Ryan replied matter-of-factly.

“Do you...do this often?” Shane squeaked, embarrassed at how timid his voice sounded.

Realization dawned on Ryan’s face, “No! _No_! No Shane! I would _never_ -” he cringed, “I would never do that to you. I’ve only done it in serious situations…” He swallowed, “I don’t _like_ using these powers.”

“So what happened?” Shane asked, choosing to gloss over that last statement, “After the fertilizer?”

Ryan breathed quietly, “I ran home, crying my eyes out. I told my mom what had happened, and she called my grandma. They sat me down and we had...a talk.” Ryan ran a hand through his damp hair, “I spent the whole summer with my grandma learning to control it. Keep this in check, so I can live a normal life.”

“So if I believed you, and that’s a big _if_.” Shane told him, “How did you stop the car today? How did you even know where I was?”

“It’s...hard to explain.” Ryan admitted, “It’s gonna sound weird.”

“Weirder than purging fertilizer, Ryan?”

The other man looked at his feet, hurt. But Shane wouldn't apologize for the jibe. He was practically in the middle of a mental breakdown.

“When a witch...develops...strong _feelings_ for someone, we get a type of radar. I’ve become so attuned to you, that I almost have a second awareness. I felt that you were in danger, I can’t really explain it. It’s the same kind of adrenaline rush you’d get if you were standing on a ledge. Your life was in danger, and I focused for a second, closed my eyes, and I was with you.”

“ _Strong_ feelings?” Shane frowned, “So...you’re constantly aware of your family’s whereabouts?”

“No.” Ryan shook his head, cursing quietly, “I told you it’s hard to explain. It’s not like a GPS always firing off. It’s like...if I were to get a shock every time you were in danger. Just a little jolt that tells me to get moving. Then I focus really hard, and do what we did to get here. I appear wherever you are and do whatever needs to be done.”

“That sounds exhausting.” Shane observed, feeling a small pang of sympathy for the man beside him.

“I’ve learned how to handle it.” Ryan replied shortly.

“Last year.” there was a note of realization in Shane’s voice, “At the Buzzfeed Christmas party. I was drunk and I tripped on the top stair coming from the bathroom. And you were there- you caught me.” Shane shook his head, “I wrote it off because I was so drunk. I didn’t know how you were there, but I didn’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth.” Shane looked over at Ryan, “Did you get...the _thing_ , then?”

“Yes.” Ryan answered quietly.

“Why didn’t you ever tell me this, Ryan?” Shane asked.

“Shane, you don’t even believe there are ghosts when they’re right in front of our face, I didn’t really think you’d buy the whole I’m a witch thing without proof. And I don’t like to use the powers unless it’s necessary.”

“ _Are_ ghosts real?” Shane demanded.

Ryan rolled his eyes, _“I_ think so.”

“But you don’t have like...a built in ghost detector?”

“I'm a witch, not a medium.”

“Well _excuse_ me for not knowing the lore!” Shane threw his hands up in exasperation.

Ryan bit his lip, not meeting Shane’s eyes, “So...there. That’s the truth.” He sighed, brows creasing, “Now you know what I am.”

Shane studied the apprehensive expression on Ryan’s face, “Are you gonna...make me forget this?”

“I told you I’d never do that to you.” Ryan said, still not looking at Shane, “Unless...do you _want_ to forget?”

Hurt washed over Shane. The broken expression on his best friend’s face made his heart ache. Did Ryan really think Shane would think any different of him after this? He’d saved his life, more than once, apparently.

“Ryan, when you said you have.. _.strong_ feelings for me, what exactly does that mean?” Shane asked hesitantly, somewhat afraid of the answer.

He couldn’t get his hopes up that Ryan felt the same...that Ryan wanted to be more than friends. Ryan scrubbed a hand over his eyes, voice somewhat muffled as he replied, “I love you, dude.”

“Huh?”

“I _love_ you.” Ryan’s voice was sharp and clear the second time, “The weird radar thing it only works for...” He cursed again, shaking his head, “ _Soulmates_.”

Shane had definitely gone mad. If it wasn’t the crazy witch story, or the near-death experience, it was this. This was the nail in the insanity coffin. Ryan didn’t...they weren’t…

“Soulmates?” He breathed.

Ryan nodded weakly, “Yeah.”

“This is a lot, Ryan.”

Shane felt stupid, and like a dick for saying that, because what he wanted to do, was tell Ryan that he loved him too. He wanted to pull the shorter man up into an embrace and kiss him until the sun set behind the Hollywood hills. But he hadn’t been lying. This was a fucking lot.

“I know.” Ryan shook his head, “I-I should go.”

He moved to stand and a sudden panic burst through Shane’s body. He jolted to his feet, grabbing Ryan’s wrist. “I don’t want you to leave.” Shane admitted weakly.

“What do you want?” Ryan asked, eyes a bit hard. He was hurt.

“You saved my life.” Shane managed, not really answering the question, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

The pair stood there in Shane’s living room, eye-to-eye, tense, breathing hard. They were inches away, yet Shane had never felt so far from Ryan before. Screw it. He loved Ryan. Screw not messing up the friendship, or the business, or now the weird witch thing.

They were soulmates, after all, according to Ryan.

“I love you.” Shane said, reaching up to cradle Ryan’s face in his hands, “I love you, Ryan.”

There was still a small, fearful shield pulled over Ryan’s face, but Shane saw in his eyes how badly he wanted to believe it.

“I don’t care.” Shane shook his head, “I don’t care about the witch stuff. You’re still just Ryan to me.”

“You’re not...freaked out?” Ryan asked.

“No, I _am_ freaked out.” Shane let out a small laugh, “But cut me some slack, I’m sure you weren’t a mask of calm when you found out.” He leaned in and met Ryan’s eyes, “I’m freaked out, but I don’t wanna be anywhere else.”

“I love you.” Ryan repeated, eyes wide with awe.

“I love you too.”

Shane moved closer and their lips pressed together for a brief, gentle moment before they pulled away to look at each other.

“We’ve never done _that_ before.” Ryan said breathlessly.

“Or have we?” Shane mused, “Maybe you made me forget."

“That’s _not_ funny!” Shane winced slightly at Ryan’s knuckles colliding with his bicep, but they were both laughing. As he moved for the phone to call Anthony and let him know the Watcher office would be without it’s owners today, he glanced behind him at Ryan.

The other man looked as if a 100 pound weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and he still couldn’t believe he was free of it’s reign. Shane hoped he truly would never forget Ryan’s face in that moment. He hoped he could keep the weight off as long as the two of them lived.

“Let’s go skydiving.” Shane said as he ended the call and moved back toward Ryan, “After all, I’ve got a safety net I never knew about.”

Ryan rolled his eyes and pulled away from Shane, “I’m letting your ass fall if we do.”

Shane giggled, pleased to know that there were now about a million new ways he could annoy Ryan. Things weren’t going to change much at all.


End file.
